chapman



w' z. w. CHAPMAN. Paper File; No. 19,748. Patented March 30, 1 s5s-..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. Z. WV. CHAPMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PAPER-FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,748, dated March 30, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, W. Z. 7. CHAPMAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Paper- Files; and I do hereby describe and ascertain my said improvements, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a longitudinal section; Fig. 2, exterior view; Fig. 3, the lock detached;

Fig. I, cross section on line w m Fig. 1.-

My invention has for its purpose a cheap mode of construction of paper file so that each'paper can be filed separately and any number can be secured and locked at once while at the same time when unlocked one at a time only can be removed or released.

Many varieties of form can be adopted for making my file, and any convenient number of rods from two upward may be employed in combination. In the drawing Fig. at four rods are shown but it will be obvious that others may be placed interme diate, the number being only limited by the size of the center stick which may be round, square or of any other figure in its cross section.

In the drawing a designates a rod of wood or any other suitable material which may be solid or tubular. This is of a proper length to receive the longest paper for which it is intended. At one end there is a brass ferrule Z) into which wires 0 are jointed somewhat like the stretchers of an umbrella. The character of the joint is immaterial but I prefer that seen in Fig. 1, the tendency of which is when a strain is brought upon the wires to press them into the groove made for their reception in the staff a which is fluted for that purpose. Below the ferrule b there may be a handle cl aflixed to more conveniently handle the file. All this is so clearly illustrated, as to need no further description.

Each of the wires 0 extends along the rod or staff a in a groove made therein or otherwise and on its inside it may have sharp points at e, e, that enter holes in rod a and thus more securely hold the paper which is placed between the wire 0 and rod a or the inner side of the wire may be roughened to hold said paper.

a round wire, flat or other formed bars may be employed, but the wire is the simplest and cheapest.) The upper ends of the wires are bent into a hook form or they may be headed, the hook form is. shown in the drawing ,to have nolongitudinal movement.

(Instead of at c and when the wires are brought into place as seen in the figures each wire enters into a notch in a lock-plate f made radial for its reception. The end'of the hook pro- 0 jects inward and enters a recess in plate f on the top by which it is looked as hereafter explained. Around the outside of plate f there is one or more rings i that encircle the recesses above named containing 5 the upper ends of the Wires 0. These rings have an opening cut through them (shown at Fig. 3,) which when brought opposite either one of the recesses in plate f permit the end of the wire therein, when unlocked, 70 to be drawn out for releasing or inserting a paper. To lock these wires so that no paper can be abstracted without a key, unless it is torn off, the lock plate is forced outward by a screw Z which enters into a metal tube an and turns therein while it is so affixed as There is a tube a aflixedto the cap or look plate f that surrounds the screw Z and renders a key necessary to turn it, thehead being square 30 to receive the key. l/Vhen the wires are all in place, where they are held by the ring or rings 2', the screw is turned until the lock plate is forced out sufficiently to bind the hooked ends of the wires into the recess on .85 the upper face of said lock-plate by which they are all secured and the wires are thus kept tight. To release them the screw must be turned in the opposite direction. The lock plate is kept from turning and its range of motion is determined when the wires are all out by, a connection, of any convenient form with the stationary tube or socket on in Fig. 3. This is shown to be a hooked wire 0 attached to the lock plate and received into a recess in the socket m.

The advantages which this file has over those now in use are manifold. lVe may name in particular however theplacing of papers on singly so as to be read in order instead of laying one paper over another as in ordinary files with the power to remove any one without disturbing the others together with the freedom from injury and wear incident thereto. The file can be affixed to a reading table or desk so as to revolve or otherwise all of which will be apparent on inspection. For convenience in passing papers down below the disk that are not in immediate use a portion of the disk may be hinged or made to slide so as to form a trap for that purpose, The rings rod or its equivalent substantially in the 0 manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. I also claim the combination of the ring or rings 2' and lock plate f for securing the ends of the Wires as set forth.

W. Z. W. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

ALB. H. HOOK, W. H. STANSBURY. 

